“The hazards presented by volcanic and seismic events have the greatest impact on the world’s poorest people.” To what extent do you agree with this view? (40 marks)
To go anywhere with this statement we must constitute what a ‘hazard’ actually is. A geographical hazard is largely the same as a regular hazard. An issue arises, e.g. an earthquake and then you follow a protocol to avoid and deal with the danger. In tectonics It can be defined as extreme natural events in the crust of the earth that poses a threat to life and property, for example, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and landslides.
A natural hazard or disaster is something that usually affects the globe, not in terms of damaging impact but the aid and response as much as anything. In 2010 a 7.4 magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti. It left the country in ruins with 3.5 million affected with 2.3 million driven out their homes. In total the disaster generated a $9 billion response worldwide that was donated for the aid and recovery of the region. This shows how a seismic event can impact more than just a country.
There are a number of factors that increase the severity of a natural disaster/seismic event, the wealth/income of a country being one. Haiti was 145th of 169 countries in the UN Human Development Index, (which is the lowest in the Western Hemisphere) and in 2010 the GDP per capita of Haiti was 669 USD. It’s government was desperately poor and invested little money in to safe guarding buildings from an earthquake that would inevitably strike the country that lies on the North American plate and Caribbean plate, as well as the ring of fire. 86% of people living in the capital city Port au Prince were living in slum like conditions in tightly packed, poorly built concrete buildings, Weak foundations and loose poorly constructed roofs were to blame as 180000 homes were damaged leaving 1.5 million people homeless. This was the first time in 80 years that a city of over 2 million...